Elina Tang is no fan of a straight path. Born in Wuhan, China, Tang traveled all the way to the U.S. to study molecular biology and microbiology at Tufts University. But after graduating, she decided to try marketing.

With sustainability in mind, College of Engineering students had been designing, building and racing futuristic solar cars for more than a decade. Then in 2005, the solar car team looked at hydrogen, saw a fuel for the future and swapped sunlight for the big H.

Whether the professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering is lecturing to students on a Monday morning or playing guitar for revelers on a Saturday night, Craig Kluever has great chops for closing the gap between him and his audiences.

Hyejin Kim, a senior journalism major from Cheongju, South Korea, loves commercials. “I like all kinds of advertising,” Kim says. “I thought it would be great to learn how to create powerful advertising, instead of just watching it.”

Over time, Brady Commons — designed decades ago as a student recreation stop — had gotten packed to the point of bursting with restaurants, a bookstore and dozens of student organizations, not to mention the bowling alley in the basement. In 2005, students voted to expand the facility for modern wants and needs.

Biochemistry major Rachel Waller of St. Louis is one of four University of Missouri students who won the 2010 Goldwater Scholarship, an elite academic prize for science, mathematics and engineering students.

Joan Gabel, incoming dean of the Trulaske College of Business, is the first to admit she has some big shoes to fill. “The announcement of the position opening was very big news in the business education community,” Gabel says. “There was quite the buzz. Outgoing dean Bruce Walker is nothing short of a legend, and my first priority will be building upon the success he has already achieved.”